How to Inspect Simonis 860 Pool Table Felt: A Quality Manager’s 7-Point Checklist

I manage quality for a billiard table cloth supplier, and I review nearly every Simonis 860 pool table felt shipment before it goes out. In 2024, I checked around 1,700 rolls. Maybe 1,750; I would have to pull the log. The checklist below is the one I run when a roll is not automatically cleared for shipment.

Who should use this checklist

Use this if you buy table cloth for a table manufacturing shop, sell replacement cloth to pool rooms, or install cloth for customers. It works for one roll and it works for a 50-table project.

Do not use it for dumbbell back exercises, a Trea Turner slide, or the question of who invented table tennis. Those are different searches. This article is about Simonis 860 pool table felt and the inspections that prevent expensive service calls.

Brief terminology check

Simonis 860 pool table felt is technically a woven worsted cloth, not a loose, fuzzy felt. That distinction matters because the tight weave is what gives the table a predictable roll. The surface should feel smooth and dense, not fluffy. If it feels soft like a blanket, stop and look closer before installation.

The 7-point inspection checklist I use

1. Verify the product code and lot number first

Do not identify the cloth by color alone. Tournament Blue is the color name, but Simonis makes several cloth specs in similar colors. The roll label must show 860. If the label only says Tournament Blue, dig deeper.

Lot number matters even more than most people expect. Different production lots can be the same color but have a slightly different finishing response. If you are installing cloth on multiple tables that need to play alike, ask for one lot or confirm that the lots are acceptable together.

We did not have a formal lot verification process in our order templates for a long time. The third time a mixed-lot order caused an installation issue, I added a required line to the job form: lot number verified before cutting. Should have done that after the first time.

2. Let the roll acclimate before cutting

Worsted cloth responds to temperature and humidity. If a roll has been sitting in a cold truck or a dry warehouse, give it at least 24 hours in the room where the table will be installed. A roll that is cold or damp will not lie flat during cutting, and the first stretch can move differently than the rest of the cloth.

This sounds like a delay, but it is not. You are not waiting for the cloth to improve; you are waiting for it to stabilize. If you install a roll right after delivery, you may be stretching a moving target.

3. Unroll enough cloth to inspect under raking light

Do not judge a roll by the outside surface. Unroll three or four feet of cloth and look at it under a shallow light angle. Raking light reveals weave interruptions, pulled threads, and finish variations that ordinary overhead light hides.

Use a linen tester or a jeweler’s loupe if you want to be serious. The weave pattern should look even. Simonis 860 is a tight weave, so a bright reflection streak or a spot that looks different from the surrounding cloth is a reason to hold the roll.

4. Verify the color in a light box, not by memory

Tournament Blue looks different under a phone flashlight, an LED showroom light, and afternoon daylight. Do not approve a roll because it matches your memory of the color. Keep a physical approved sample and compare under a controlled light source.

In my inspection area, I use a 5000K light box. I also measure Delta E when possible. A Delta E under 2 is a very close match. Between 2 and 4 needs a second look. Above 4 means the roll should not ship for a color-matched job.

Pantone’s color guidelines make the same point: substrate and lighting change appearance. A wool cloth is not a paper swatch, and a screen is not a reliable sample. If you are ordering for a color-sensitive project, ask for a physical cutting first.

5. Do a controlled ball roll test before cutting

Take a sample piece from the end of the roll, place it on a flat surface, and roll a clean object ball across it. The ball should move smoothly and quietly. If it jumps or skips, the problem may be the surface under the cloth, not the cloth itself. But if the sample roll feels inconsistent, do not cut it yet.

Forget the phrase Trea Turner slide when you test cloth. A base runner sliding into second is not the same thing as ball roll. What you want is a predictable, low-friction roll with no weird bounce. The ball should behave the same way across the whole sample.

6. Mark the cloth direction before cutting any pieces

Woven cloth has a direction. If you cut the bed, rails, and aprons without paying attention to the direction, the finished table can play differently from one end to the other. That is not a Simonis problem. That is a cutting and installation problem.

Before you cut, run the back of your hand across the cloth in each direction. You should notice a slight difference. Mark the playing direction on the back of the cloth with tailor’s chalk or a light pencil. Use the same orientation for every piece that needs to play the same way.

Once the cloth is cut, you cannot un-cut it. Mark it first.

7. Pull with even tension and save a sample

Good cloth gets ruined by bad pulling technique. A fast or uneven pull can overstretch one corner and leave a visible distortion along the cushion. When I explain tension control to installers, I sometimes compare it to controlled dumbbell back exercises: brace your body, keep the motion steady, and do not yank.

Your goal is equal tension across the whole cloth, not maximum force at one staple. If you pull hard at the foot rail first and then force the sides, the cloth will show it. Use even pressure, check for wrinkles as you go, and do not staple until the cloth lies flat.

After installation, cut a small sample from the trimmed waste and keep it with the job file. Label it with the lot number and the date. I once had a dealer report that a table cloth changed color after five months. The saved sample proved the cloth had not changed; the customer’s lighting had changed. So glad I kept that sample. Almost cost us a replacement on a perfectly good table.

Common mistakes after inspection

Simonis 860 Tournament Blue is a tournament-grade cloth, but it cannot fix a bad table. If the slate is not level, the seams are rough, or the cushions are dead, new cloth will still play poorly. Inspect the table first, then install the cloth you want to judge.

Honest limitation: Simonis 860 is not the cheapest option, and I do not pretend it is. If your customer only cares about low upfront cost and will replace the table in a few years, a basic cloth may be the honest recommendation. Simonis 860 is for pool table owners and operators who want consistent pro-level ball roll and longer intervals between replacements.

And if you are still here looking for workout advice, baseball sliding technique, or table tennis history, this is not the page for those topics. This is the page for Simonis 860 pool table felt and the inspection steps that keep an installation from becoming a callback.

Bottom line

Simonis 860 pool table felt is dependable when the people handling it are dependable. Check the lot before you cut, inspect the weave under good light, confirm the color with a physical sample, and pull the cloth with even tension. That checklist prevents the majority of problems I see in the field.